Not Enough Time
by EternityEchoes
Summary: Matt and Mello's last few moments together before they are brutally and tragically ripped apart from each other, and from this life. Rated T for language, some MattxMello. Please read/review!


**Not Enough Time**

**Hey, my wonderful, faithful readers! First of all, thanks for clicking on my story! Lol. For once, this one was written completely by me--no help from my sister. I don't know if it'll seem depressing or sad or anything to you, but I hope it does. That's the point of it. 0_o  
Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it! Please remember to review--constructive criticisms are welcome, but no flames, please.  
** His footsteps echoes on the cement floors of the nearly-empty hallways of Wammy's as he lit up a gicarette with one hand while skillfully manuvering the halls and turns he had walked so many times. His PSP beeped cheerfully as he completed the sixth level of Mario...for the fifth time today. The door to his room was cracked open, and he pushed against it with his foot until it completely opened. The room was...strangely empty, as it had been for the past month.  
The longest thirty days of his life.  
The leather chair that Mello used to sit in seemed to draw him towards it, and he was almost sitting down before he realized what he was doing. This was Mello's chair. hurridly turned his back on the inviting recliner with the scent of his leather-clad best friend enveloping it; instead, he flopped onto the twin bed that was barely long enough for him. He bit his lower lip; a brooding, distant look flickering over his face as he snuffed out the almost-new cigarette.  
His answering machine light wasn't flashing--Mello still hadn't called. So many messages had been left on his golden-haired beauty's cell from him, all begging him to come back, to forgive Matt for whatever he'd done. But there was still no reply. A sudden wave of fury rolled over the gamer as he slammed his fists into the dark wooden wall, leaving dents in it. He was stronger than his scrawny frame let on; having gained experience fron the years and years of being tormented by the other children--at least, that is, until Mello showed up. None of the students dared to even look at Matt after Mello broke one's jaw and shoved him out of a third-story window for shattering Matt's nose when he refused to give the bully and his friends his new Gameboy.  
That was the day their friendship started. Mello hadn't eevn know Matt, and he'd risked getting kicked out his first day there for him. Since then, Mello had become Matt's shield, his protection. And, in return, Matt had done everything he could back for Mello--whatever Mello wanted. A shrill, ringing noise from across the room jerked the gamer form his musings, and he dashed across the room, yanking the phone off the reciever so forcefully that it almost ripped the cord out of the wall.  
"Hello?" His voice was unsteady.  
_ "Is this Matt?" _a man's voice asked, adn Matt's hopes fell. Mello's voice was rougher, harsher, more seductive.

"Yeah." he told the man, the pain evident in his voice.  
There was a pause on the other end of the line. _"I have a message for you."  
_ Matt repressed the intense urge to scream at the man. "Go ahead."  
_ "584-831-7029"  
_ The gamer's eyes narrowed as he wrote down the number on a pad of paper. "Is that all?" he asked, not daring to let the small flame of hope in his stomach grow. There was a click on the other end of the line. Matt ran the number through his mind. It seemed vaguely familiar. He stared blankly at the paper, before crumpling it and throwing it at the wall as he tried to recall the number..."Yes..." he mumbled, flickers of memory slipping through his mind. Mello had been...had been going through fiels of a computer that Matt had hacked. That was it...it was on one of the screens.  
He contemplated calling it, but the pain that had been slowly eating away at his heart would entirely consume him if it wasn't Mello. But, then again, if it _was_...he could find him. He could trace the call, and he could _find_ him. Matt picked the phone up, carefully punching in the number the man had given him. The phone rang once...twice...then someone picked up, and the most beautiful, perfect voice in the world filled his ears again. God, how he'd missed it.  
"Mello," he breathed incredulously. wonder filling his heart just as the voice filled his body with longing.  
_ "Matt," _Mello started, only to be interrupted by his friend. "Mello, it's really you! God, I've missed you so much! Where are y--"  
_ "Shut up and _listen_, Matt, dammit,"_ Mello snapped as a car engine revved in the background. Matt obidently stopped talking, ice water filling his veins as he realized how panicked Mello had sounded. "Okay, I"m listening." he said quietly.  
_ "Matt, I--shit, hold on." _A gunshot echoed, then Mello came back on the line, his breathing ragged as if he'd been hurt. _"I need your help." _he finally admitted. Matt heard Mello's too-familiar motorcycle turn on in the background. "Okay." the gamer answered with no heistation. "Just tell me where you are, and I'l be there." The other end of the line was silent. _"I'm back in Japan." _Mello told him the address, then the phone suddenly shut off. Matt quickly shoved his black-and-white and black-and-red striped shirts in a black backpack, along with several pairs of jeans, his PSP, a pack of cigarettes, and a few bars of German chocolate that he had been saving for Mello, then strode out the door.

x-x-x

"Matt..." Mello whispered, seeing his redheaded angel walk in the door. Matt froze at the sight of Mello--so much had changed. The entire left side of his face was covered in scars that were just starting to heal, and the brilliant turquoise eyes had hardened. But a softer look seemed to come in them when Mello looked at him--or was Matt just imagining things again?  
"Oh, god, Mello, what happened?" he murmured brokenly, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around his friend. "That's not important right now," Mello told him hoarsely. His voice sounded like his vocal cords had been strained, damaged. _Too much yelling, perhaps? _Matt thought, a small smile spreading across his face. "I need you to help me...catch...someone. And first of all--" Mello broke off as a phone rang with perfect timing. "Quick, trace the call." he told Matt.

Mello picked up the phone and listened for a few minutes, waiting for a thumbs-up from Matt to signal that he had the location. When he got it, he snapped the phone shut.  
"Mello...Who was that? What's going on...?" Matt asked, trailing off as Mello shook his head. "Though you knew better than to ask," he snorted, wincing painfully as he sat up to look for some chocolate. Matt easily caught on to what he was doing, and rummaged in his bag for the candy he'd brought for Mello. "Here," he said soothingly to Mello. "I brought you some." He gently pushed the blonde back down onto the bed, pressing the chocolate into his hands. "Now, what do you want me to do?"

x-x-x

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours after what Mello had just said--"there's a good chance we'll both be killed." Matt took a long drag on his cigarette, turning that morbid thought around in his mind. "All right." he decided, tilting his head back. A grin broke out on Mello's face, causing butterflies to erupt in Matt's stomach. Anything he'd just agreed to do--well, it'd be worth it. Just to see that smile.  
"I knew I could count on you." Mello murmured, looking up at Matt through his bangs. "I was thinking we'd do it tomorrow." he stated almost nonchantly. The pain that had been constant in Matt's hart grew. "Tomorrow...I was thinking....we'd have longer." the gamer whispered, his voice breaking.  
Mello looked at him, his face expressionless. Prolonging it would only make it harder. "Not enough time. If even _one_ of us wants to even have a _chance_ at getting out alive, it has to be tomorrow." Realization sunk in to Matt. The hard, cold, dead look in Mello's eyes suddenly made more sense. "You're not...you're not planning on getting out alive." he choked out, tears welling up in his vibrant emerald eyes. Mello slowly shook his head. Good. It was better for Matt not to hae any false hopes. There was no way possible that Mello'd get out alive, not if his suspicions were correct. If Takada was Kira...if she was, he'd die. But, hopefully, she would, too. Either way, it would give Near the proof he needed to convict Light Yagami.  
Mello let out a harsh chuckle. To think that he was about to give his life up for _Near_. Near, the little albino brat that had never done anything for him. His resolve wavered for a second--he was giving up everything, a life with Matt, most importantly. They could just...give it up, leave it all behind. They could run off...but no.  
Catching Kira...Kira, the murdering bastard who had killed L....that was his first priority. He'd been trained all his life to succeed L, and now that he couldn't--Near had the spot--now that he couldn't, he'd damn well make sure Kira was caught and killed. Light might've escaped L, but he wouldn't escape Mello. Kira _would _be caught, that much he'd make sure of.  
"No. I know I won't live. The only thing left for me to hope for...the only thing that'll make me happy now is if I didn't have to involve you in it, if I _knew_ you'd get away safely. Believe me, I wish I could've found a way for this to work without you having to be in it." he told the gamer, whose tears were running freely down his face now. "Mello...Mel, just forget it! We'll leave, we'll go somewhere safe..." A ghost of a smile flitted over Mello's face as he heard Matt say almost exactly the thoughts echoing in his head.  
"I can't Matt. God, I wish I could, I'd give fucking _anything_ if I could. But I have to do this--" He broke off as Matt laid his head on Mello's stomach, tears dampening the slick leather encasing his body. Mello hesitantly ran his fingers through Matt's scarlet hair, gently untangling the knots in it. "Matt...It'll be okay. You'll get out, I swear you will," he promised, tears leaking out of his own eyes to match Matt's.  
"I don't...I don't want to live without you, Mello, I can't." he whispered, clinging tighter to his friend. Mello's heart ached, but he knew it would work out, Matt would be okay. That's all that mattered. "Shh...shh..." Mello murmured soothingly, his tears running into Matt's hair.  
Matt straightened up after the length of what seemed like forever, and yet not even close to long enough. The pain in his eyes was replaced by a fierce determination. "All right..." he mumbled, wiping the remaining tears out of his emerald eyes and straightening the goggles around his neck. The computer beeped, signaling that it had finished tracing the call, and Matt walked over to it and quickly keyed something in.  
"Got it." he said, placing the cigarette between his lips. When there was no reply, he turned around to look at Mello. He was laying on his side on the cot asleep, his eyes closed, lips slightly parted. With all the anger and pain gone from his face, he looked so young and helpless. A watery smile came onto Matt's lips, and he walked back over to his friend. He sat up against the side of the bed, tracing the beautiful scars on Mello's face with a feather-light touch.

x-x-x

Mello took a deep breath. "Ready?" he asked Matt, who nodded firmly, not trusting his voice. They were standing in garage, Matt beside his Camero and Mello beside his motorcycle. Matt opened his car door to get in, but was stopped by Mello's hand on his shoulder.  
"Matt, I--" he choked out, eyes once again filling up with tears. Unable to talk, he leaned his forehead against Matt's. "Goodbye..." he whispered brokenly, streching his arm out to hold Matt's hand for a few moments longer, before suddenly letting go and mounting the motorcycle. "I hope you make it."  
He revved the engine, looking back at Matt for one last time as he pulled out. "I love you."  
His words were barely more than a whisper, but Matt heard them. Tears spilled out of his stunning green eyes as he watched his Mello leave. "I love you, too."  
But it was too late. Mello was gone.  
** Well, there you have it! My first completely-written-by-myself story. Hope you all liked it...and please, please review. I'd like to know if my writing by myself is decent in any way, or if I should just stick to being a co-author. Did I make Mello too OOC? Did it not end in a dramatic enough way? I'd love to know what you think! Again, thanks so much for reading. ^_^**

The is Bff here, Haii!

This is an awesome story, written by my best friend, the owner of this account.  
her computer wouldn't let her post this so I'm doing it for her [:  
I'm so proud of her, she's an awesome writer, no bad reviews or I'll kick your butt !_!  
Anyways, that's all.  
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